The Light of the Night Tribal Cats
by widenum
Summary: When two travelling she-cats stumble across an island far away, they decide to make their new home in a village on the shore. But once they meet a group of cats that live in the village, they get mixed up in an age old battle with another group of rival cats. But, little did the two know, it would change them for the better. (Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.)
1. Prologue

The moonlight rippled on the water as the hut-maker's boat traveled silently over the calm lapping waves. Feathered Fish and Little Petal slept next to each other, their backs brushing slightly. They were asleep on a soft rock, big enough for them to share, although their legs dangled off at times. Feathered Fish's ear twitched as she heard the soft murmuring of the hut-makers, and she pushed herself up to glance at the two of them. Her amber gaze traveled from them to the sky, where millions of bright stars flashed before her. It was beautiful.

She stretched each limb individually before climbing off the soft rock and leaving Little Petal alone. She walked around the hut-maker's legs, and put her forepaws on the hull of the small brown boat. She studied the stars carefully before she realized that the hut-makers were calling her name, and she turned around to face them. She chirped, and saw they were holding a delicious strip of chicken. The hut-maker dropped it, and she lapped it up, relishing its rich flavor. Her and Little Petal have always traveled together, like sisters.

She went back to the soft rock and curled up, tightening herself. It was a bit cold that night, so she would try her best to seek out as much warmth from Little Petal as she could. She was on the verge of falling asleep before the hut-makers screeched in joy, and made her head shoot up in awe. Little Petal was wide away now too, and was breathing hard. "What was that?" Little Petal asked, her eyes wide with fear. Feathered Fish actually wasn't sure how to respond. She shrugged and curled her tail around her paws.

"The hut-maker is pointing over there to that land. See it?" Feathered Fish folded her paws underneath herself and Little Petal stood up on her shoulders, making Feathered Fish grunt. "Get off me you stupid mouse." Feathered Fish swatted at Little Petal, knocking her off of her and onto the ground.

"There's an island over there! It looks rich with greenery. Also I see lights on the shore! We're going to have a new home." Little Petal meowed enthusiastically, her tail curling slightly in excitement. "I can't wait to see what hut-makers will be there."

"We've been traveling for days, it would be nice to make a stop somewhere." Feathered Fish felt the sense of adventure as she looked at the growing island in the distance, and sure enough, lights were dotted along the shore-line. A jungle seemed to lay on that island, vast and lush. She couldn't wait to explore it! But Little Petal wanted to go see the hut-makers? Maybe they could make a stop there, but not for long. She was tired of jumping from hut-maker to hut-maker. Plus all they did was sleep. She wanted more to her life.

 _I'll simply ask her in the morning. She seems so excited._ Feathered Fish made room for Little Petal as she climbed up and laid down, her cerulean gaze twinkling with the reflection of the stars. "I can't wait." Little Petal murmured as she drifted off to sleep, and Feathered Fish nodded. _I can't wait either. Our new life will begin in the morning._


	2. Chapter 1: A Cry For Help

_Ka-thunk._

Feathered Fish was launched off her soft rock and onto the ground, Little Petal following her. Feathered Fish groaned, feeling warm liquid on her shoulder. She craned her neck around to lick it, murmuring angrily to herself. "Are you alright?" Little Petal asked, dangling off the soft rock. She let go and fell gracefully on her small white paws, and flicked them each individually. The sun was barely even rising; and it was misty where-ever they were.

She flinched at the sound of her name being yelled by the hut-makers, and realized that they were no longer traveling over water. _Land!_ She quickly climb over the side of the wooden boat, and fell into shallow water. Her hut-makers laughed as they pointed at her, covered in brown mud and sand that matched her short-haired brown pelt. She shook her mud covered paws as she walked out of the shallow water, shaking her pelt. Little Petal stood on the end of the boat where she jumped, and shot off it, narrowly missing the water. "Land, land, land!" she exclaimed and raced around on the shore, her small paw-prints being left behind in the silky sand.

The hut-makers made a "snapping" sound with their hairless paws and gestured for the two cats to follow. Little Petal meowed and followed them without hesitation, yet Feathered Fish was less as enthusiastic as to follow. The four walked slowly along the beach, all focused on getting to the village filled with hut-makers. But Feathered Fish was interested as to what were in those tall thick trees, with all the shrubbery and undergrowth so thick you could barely see through it. The sounds of birds chirped from in the jungle as the sun rose, flying over the heads of the cats and hut-makers.

Feathered Fish was walking steadily behind Little Petal until she collided in to her, after stopping when she came to an abrupt stop right in front of the village. Two hut-makers dressed in feathers and a minimal amount of pelt were holding long pointed sticks crossing over each other, and was barking something to the other two hut-makers that they had arrived with. Soon enough the two guarding hut-makers held their sticks upright, and entry was given to the four travelers.

New and familiar smells were everywhere. Chatting from other hut-makers could be heard all over, and hut-kits ran out and about, chasing a small yappy dog. The dog was too busy running away from the hut-kits to notice their arrival, but others noticed them. Smoke rose out of a large circular thing and fire glowed beneath it. It lapped at the bottom of the circular empty rock, and a delicious aroma wafted into her nostrils, bringing her toward it. The hut-maker obviously saw her and scooped up a chunk of meat from in the empty rock, and dropped it on the ground.

She picked it up and brought it toward Little Petal, the scent of it making her mouth water. She dropped it in front of her and Little Petal purred. "Easy food already, go ahead, eat some." Feathered Fish nodded and ate her share, watching as her companion hungrily devoured the scrap of meat. _Must've been lamb._ She decided to herself, and nudged Little Petal. "Let's ditch the hut-makers, let's find our own new home." Little Petal nodded and they weaved through the crowded path, dodging around chickens and pigs, and listening to their obnoxious chattering.

Colourful pelts were hung up on a long line of spiderweb, and they smelled fresh and clean, but also had the tang of salt to them. She licked her lips from her earlier meal, and saw a tall post with pictures of faces that seemed to resemble birds and hut-makers. It was entirely made out of wood, and it had the bright colours of red, white, yellow and green. Two huts flanked the post, and one of the huts looked old and had a hole in the roof of its soft straw material.

"Come, we can go in there." Feathered Fish flung herself at the post, scrambling up it with great effort. Little Petal was more skilled in climbing, and had less weight to hold her down. She quickly climbed the wooden post and jumped onto the roof of the hut. Feathered Fish reached up with outstretched claws to grab hold of the bird-face's beak, and her claws scraped against the wood as it threatened to let her fall down onto the ground. She was up pretty high now, and she gulped, pulling herself up as fast as she could before she fell.

She lay half-on, half-off with her muddy haunches dangling off the wide. Her mouth felt dry as she tried to pull the rest of her body onto the curved beak, and when she finally did, she jumped up the rest of the way and on the very top of the pole. She soared through the air and landed on the roof of the hut with a 'thump,' dust clouding her vision. She coughed, and when the cloud of dust cleared she glanced around for Little Petal, who was looking down into the hole. "Follow me, and stop being so loud." Little Petal jumped into the hole and Feathered Fish squeaked in protest as her friend disappeared without another word, and then she heard an unsavory 'creak' below her.

Feathered Fish raced over to the hole and saw Little Petal balancing on a beam, and Feathered Fish followed. It groaned, and her pelt bristled as it seemed to feel like it was ready to give up underneath her. She wasn't fat, but she was definitely bigger than her small calico friend, so she'd have to walk with great precaution if she felt like living. The fall down was long, and broken wooden and splinters littered the old ground. Little Petal jumped onto an old shelf when they had walked the length of the beam, and was slowly climbing down it. Feathered Fish quickly followed, her eyes wide with anxiety.

When they reached the floor, Feathered Fish collapsed and pressed her bright pink nose to the ground, murmuring thanks to it. Feathered Fish felt her ear being swatted at and looked up at Little Petal, who wasn't paying attention her her at all.

She followed her gaze, and before her, were about ten sets of glowing eyes. The only light that was seeping into the old hut was from the hole in the roof and some cracks in the walls, other than that it was pitch black. Her eyes adjusted, and she gulped, watching as Little Petal stepped forward into a sliver of light, narrowing her eyes against the darkness. "I am Little Petal, and this is my friend, Feathered Fish. We mean you no harm, and we were just looking for a place to stay." Little Petal explained to the eyes, and a cat stepped forward. He was skinny and grey, and his eyes were bright as day. They were a sky blue, reminding her of the open sky they usually had when they were out at sea.

"Hello," he introduced himself, reaching out with a paw and placing it on Little Petal's head, making her flinch. "I am Sea." His tabby pelt was clean, and he seemed to have a long tail. A black she-cat stepped out of the shadows to stand next to him. Her pelt was barely even seen and her eyes were a dark amber, and they were were as wide as moons. She looked pretty young, possibly younger than her and Little Petal.

"I'm Troublesome, it is a pleasure to meet you. This is our home, where we hide from the Shadings. You must be new. Welcome." she moved into another sliver of light and light a shadow, she was gone again. The last thing they saw was her tail twitching, and more light blasted the den, revealing every cat there. They were mostly brown and grey, but there was one she-cat who was pure white and had two large kittens sleeping at her belly.

"I'm sorry, the what?" Feathered Fish meowed to Sea, who was currently gathering strands of hay and forming a nest with them. Sea glanced over his shoulder, his deep blue gaze fixed on her. He got up, and rolled his shoulders, quickly padding over to her. His tail curled and his ears flicked.  
"Shadings is a group of cats that rule the jungle and the village, and they try to keep us out. This is our only shelter. They even wait for us outside the village." the tom unsheathed his claws and dug them into the old wood, and snarled. "They've killed more than half of us."

Confusion pricked her paws as she watched the tom go back to what he was doing, and she glanced at Troublesome, who was stepping back. A young cat covered in mud and plants burst in the den. They were panting, and they hid behind Troublesome, and eventually five other cats burst into the old hut-maker's nest. They were bristling and hissing, their claws outstretched and their teeth were bared. The small cat that was cowering behind Troublesome raced away into the darker corners of the nest, and stayed as still as possible. The leader of the group, a silver and white tom with dark amber eyes growled into Troublesome's face.

"Your cats strayed too far this time, and they have managed to get into the forest. Stay in your own pathetic excuse for a home!" Feathered Fish narrowed her eyes and stood up. Little Petal flashed her a look, but it was too late because Feathered Fish was making her way over to Troublesome and the other tom. Little Petal followed her, and before Feathered Fish could chew him out, Little Petal began to speak.

"That bravery you have, to enter the home of these cats uninvited, and despite knowing you are terribly outnumbered. About eleven to five? Your numbers aren't that great. I would advise you leave before something bad happens." The whole den was quiet, and the tom that had threatened Troublesome was growling lowly, and his patrol was backing up.  
"Soon we will come back, but with more cats and you all will be dead." He spat, and flicked his tail twice for the cats to retreat. They disappeared without another word, but Feathered Fish was almost certain they said something about them.

Troublesome was staring at Little Petal was awe. "How did you do that? We've never seen them leave so quickly! Thank you!" Troublesome dipped her head respectfully to Little Petal, and then lifted her head again to face her. "We would have gotten scarred from those five. We're so thankful." Troublesome kept thanking her over and over again, and the small cat that had hid in the darkness poked his head out and purred.  
"Yeah thank you, they caught me spying on them and chased me all the way here."

"What do you mean by spying?" Feathered Fish inquired, looking up from her quick bath. She was currently gnawing at the pebbles stuck to her paws, and the cats here probably thought she was dirty and savage, although they had pretty much just helped them. The small tom looked at Troublesome, but all she did was just blink slowly.  
"Getting information, they seem to be planning something... Also, H'uo-Awki has been trapped by them, Troublesome." The tom's eyes flashed in fear, and he glanced at his paws. Troublesome's eyes widened in shock, and she glanced out the hut-maker door.

"Tonight we attack. Our leader will be safe then."

* * *

It was late now. Feathered Fish and Little Petal had been taken out by the little tom, and it turned out his name was Dust. He was leading them through the settling village, and they were right in front of a giant chicken coop. Another cat had tagged along by the name of Flake, and she was the nursing she-cat. She looked really out of it though, and both Feathered Fish and Little Petal had wondered why she was coming along with them. Flake struggled to climb over the fence, and when she finally managed to get to the top, she slowly walked along it, and sat on a wooden pole. She gestured for the rest of the cats to follow, and they climbed over the fence and into the coop.

The ground was soft was very powdery, stirring up dust when they had landed. Dust slowly lurked along the side of the coop toward the coop, and his tail flicked twice. Feathered Fish and Little Petal followed, and crouched behind him.  
"Keep an eye on Flake. Her eyes are as sharp as an eagle's, and she's watching out for the hut-makers who guard the coop from us. Make sure to keep near me, and try to kill one chicken each." Their eyes all turned to Flake, who was looking around carefully.

She motioned with her head for them all to go in, and Dust scurried in, his tail bristling with anxiety. All the chickens were sleeping, and looked peaceful. Dust glared at a fat one. "You two handle this hen, I'll go for that one. Also, they will all alert each other when we attack, and we'll need to watch out for the rooster. I'll pick off a skinnier one." He sprang into the air, landing on the top row of hens. Little Petal and Feathered Fish got ready to strike, and Dust whispered, "Now!" Together, the three of them attacked, and sure enough, a flurry of feathers surrounded them, all the chickens screeching in shock as they killed the fat hen. Dust was already dragging a skinny one out, and he dragged it over the fence.

Little Petal and Feathered Fish were carrying the plump hen together, and Little Petal took control. The hut-makers were already alerted, and Feathered Fish was still making sure the hen didn't fall down. But then, she felt a sharp 'peck' on her flank. She whipped her head around to see the rooster Dust was talking about. They were about the same size. It 'ca-cawed' as it began to peck at her face, and she slashed wildly, hoping to hit something. When her claws did meet flesh, she felt warmth bathe her paws as the rooster fell to the ground, blood spilling out all around her. The rooster had done a number on her too, but she didn't expect to kill it! Little Petal, Flake, and Dust had disappeared, leaving her with the rooster and the angry hut-makers.

"Shoot!" She climbed the fence as quickly as she could with the dead rooster, hauling it on top of the chicken coop. The hut-makers were climbing the fencing too, and right as they were going to get over, she launched herself through the air and onto the ground outside of the pen. Her heart thrummed like her paws on the uneven ground as she sped across the land, the hut-makers in pursuit, yelling all sorts of things. She burst into the village with feathers following her, along with a faint trail of blood. Dogs barked as she ran past, and she felt a pang of relief when she lost their scent, and was in the clear.

She decided instead of climbing the pole again, she'd go in through a window. She skidded to a halt in front of the old hut, and jumped up onto the windowsill, pulling her prey up with her. She fell down into the hut, the rooster following, and crushing her as it fell on her. Cheers echoed inside the den, and all the cats were surrounding her. "You killed the rooster? That's amazing!" She heard someone squeak, and saw a little kit peeking out from behind a older cat. Her other companions were in the den too, and their prey was stacked in the corner.

"We have heroes to protect us now, and we will have full bellies when we go into battle with Shadings! Let us begin our feast!" Troublesome called, carrying all their prey into the center of the den, which included the rooster, hens, and a few scrawny rodents. The rodents were given to the kits because they would be enough to keep their bellies full, and the kit that had complimented her catch complained about not being able to try the chicken, and was hushed by her mother.

Little Petal and Feathered Fish took their share of chicken to a quiet corner of the den, and Sea tagged along, his eyes filled with curiosity. "So, how'd you kill it? Did you have a special technique?" She'd rather not. Literally swinging at random isn't something you should be proud of.  
"Uh, just attacked. Y'know, aim for the neck right?" She shuffled her paws nervously, yet Sea didn't question her any further. Instead, the three cats decided to eat their meal in peace.

"We depart soon. Before we leave, we must say goodbye to all those who will stay, which consists of two cats. We think Flake and Fresh will stay here." Sea mumbled through a mouthful of chicken, feathers surrounding them all. She could still remember the fear she had when she ran away from the hut-makers, anxiety tugging at every hair on her pelt. But new fear met her, thinking that she may never return today. She had just met this group of cats, and they already have her and Little Petal tangled up with their war against the 'Shadings.'

"I need to go discuss battle plans with Troublesome. Feel free to join us." Sea trotted over to Troublesome who was instructing something to two other cats, a silver tabby tom with a short tail, and a lithe black she-cat with tall pointed ears. Little Petal was cleaning her muzzle, as she had finished her meal. Scraps of chicken still hung from her bone she was gnawing on, and she quickly stole it.  
"Hey!" Little Petal meowed in protest, batting at her face. Feathered Fish dropped it and looked at her.  
"It didn't look like you were going to finish it." she replied with a quick sniff, and then looked at Little Petal with anxiousness.  
"Do you think we'll make it back?" she wondered aloud, and Little Petal nodded.  
"Of course we will, we're strong."

 _ **o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o**_

"Uhm, hello everyone!" Little Petal yowled as she called together a meeting. Troublesome had asked her to do so. All of a sudden, everyone's attention was turned toward her. "Uh, I was asked to say who would stay here. Flake, Flake's kits, and Fresh will remain here." Little Petal said nervously, and Flake got up.  
"No, I wish to come to the battle. I've been cooped up here far too long." Flake meowed flatly, and Fresh, a old tabby elder opened his eyes with fear.  
"You mustn't journey off so far, your kits will be worried sick about you when you leave." the tabby, Reginald, rasped, craning his neck forward.

"Very well then Flake, you may join the party. Dust will stay here and hold down the fort. Please protect our cats, Dust." Troublesome spoke with insecurity as if Dust couldn't do it, because he was being trained by her at the moment. Flake also hadn't been out much because of her kits, and would surely hold everyone down as they made their way to the Shadings' camp. Talons, Flake's mate, and also the silver tabby with the short tail, protested at her response.  
"Flake is not fit enough at the moment to battle. She will be ripped to shreds."  
"You don't own me. I'll do as I please, Talons!" Flake spat, pushing her way out of the hut without another word.

"Sea, Troublesome, Feathered Fish, Talons, and I shall stay in the front of the patrol. Sheeting Rain, Flake, Rumble, and Chicken Foot shall stay in the middle of the patrol, and Pluto and Shifting will take the rear. We will depart now!" Troublesome yowled, and the cats flooded out of the den, their paws thrumming against the ground, and the last thing they heard was Fluttering Nēnē and Lightning Storm.

* * *

 **Oh god I can't believe I decided I'm going to publish this**

 **Uh, this was supposed to be a story for my friend to promote our tribe on a website but then I got too into it and yeah-**

 **Anyway tell me if you want more**

 **I'll probably update it despite your comments!**

 **By the way, if some of you didn't know, this story takes place in Hawaii, on Hilo. Yeah, pretty cool.**

 **\- widenum**


End file.
